


The Answer's Yes

by slugbuggie



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, i love them, super fluffy, this is probably canon lets be honest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:42:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24767926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slugbuggie/pseuds/slugbuggie
Summary: “Could you ever love again?” Merlin rolled back over, staring at Lancelot for a long time, rolling his words over in his mind.“I don’t know.”Or, Merlin and Lancelot in The Coming of Arthur because I adore them and this just feels too right not to be true.
Relationships: Gwaine & Percival (Merlin), Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Lancelot & Merlin (Merlin), Lancelot/Merlin (Merlin), Merlance - Relationship, Perwaine - Relationship, mercelot
Comments: 13
Kudos: 217





	The Answer's Yes

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone notices, yes I realize Lance’s shoulder was injured, not his side. I didn’t realize it while writing and didn’t catch it til rewatching the episode later and I may fix it at some point but I don’t have to energy to do so now... Anyway, enjoy!

“So,” Lancelot said, leaning against a column and watching as Percival checked to see if a sword that had been gathered from somewhere in the castle was fit to be used in battle. There was a chip in the blade. “Gwaine,” Lancelot whispered dramatically. Percival paused but did not look up. 

“What about him?” Lancelot chuckled and lightly cuffed his friend’s shoulder. 

“You know I can always tell when someone catches your eye.” Percival smiled at his hands, which fiddled with the hilt of the next sword he was meant to be inspecting, unsure of how to word what he was going to say. 

“I don’t know him. He’s only charming.” He continued to smile down at the sword and Lancelot rolled his eyes. Shaking the sheepish man by the shoulder, he urged him to elaborate.

“Tell me more,” he pressed. 

“He searched the castle with me. He’s talkative.” He set the blade on the table and looked down at his hands, running his fingers over his calloused palms. “He’s funny.”

“He’s looking this way,” Lancelot whispered, grinning. Percival could feel heat creeping toward his face, his neck burned. 

“You can’t just say that!” He tried not to, but eventually, he looked up, catching Gwaine’s eye where he stood with Elyan and Merlin. He grinned at Percival, who blushed. 

“Sorry,” Lancelot said, suppressing a laugh. Percival nudged him to be quiet, despite the fact that the other trio was well across the room and out of earshot. 

“You’re not.”

“I can pretend.”

“I don’t have feelings for him if that’s what you want me to confess, he’s just... pretty.” He trailed off on the last word, glancing back over at Gwaine and his friends. 

When Merlin noticed Percival and Lancelot looking over, he said something to the other two men before breaking away. Percival made a strangled noise as the young servant approached and looked back down at his hands.

“Are you gossiping then?” Merlin asked lightly when he reached them. 

“We’re talking about Gwaine,” Lancelot teased under his breath. Merlin caught on immediately, his face lit up.

“Oh, I want to talk about Gwaine.” Percival blushed.

“I don’t,” he said, shooting Lancelot a dirty look before darting away. Merlin smiled after him. He pushed the weapons back and hopped up onto the table, swinging his legs a little bit, and flashed a smile at the man leaning against the column beside him. 

“Percival is a kind soul, but he falls quicker than anyone I know. I’d hate to see him hurt,” Lancelot sighed. They both looked over at Percival, who had joined in Gwaine and Elyan’s conversation. Gwaine was clearly being teased about something or other by Elyan, as was their budding friendship, and Percival appeared to be enjoying himself with them. The mood had been heavy as they trekked to the castle, but once fires had been started and they’d all done some exploring(to check for enemies of course), it had felt only right to let things lighten up a little bit. Gwaine received a dirty look from Arthur each time he laughed a bit too loud, but in Merlin’s opinion it was worth it if it put Elyan and Percival at ease. They deserved an evening of peace and camaraderie. 

“I think,” Merlin started slowly, watching as Gwaine grinned up at the taller man. “I think he’ll be okay.”

“Yeah?” Lancelot was looking at Merlin, not the other men. 

“I do,” Merlin said, this time without hesitation. “He may not always look it, but Gwaine is a good man. Truly.”

“I don’t doubt that, but I fear Percival may pursue a man who cannot return his feelings.” Merlin turned again to look at the trio across the room. Gwaine was laughing as he bumped his shoulder against a flustered Percival’s. 

“Trust me, Lancelot, things may turn out better than you think.”

“Well, if there’s anyone’s word that I trust, it’s yours, Merlin.” The warlock smiled.

一

Merlin and Lancelot lay in silence for a while after Merlin revealed his plan, just watching each other. Even once they’d whispered goodnights and laid back down on their thin bedrolls, neither seemed to be able to fall asleep, and for several minutes they laid side-by-side, knowing the other was awake but saying nothing. It was Lancelot who finally broke the silence. 

“She truly loves him,” he breathed. 

“And he truly loves her,” Merlin nodded sadly, rolling over to stare at the ceiling. He’d known they would come to this topic eventually, he’d been watching Lancelot eyeing Gwen and Arthur’s interactions all evening.

“What fools we are, falling for those who don’t love us back.”

“What fools,” Merlin agreed. In the silence, Lancelot watched Merlin, who stared straight up. The warlock could feel the other man’s gaze, but each second he didn’t turn his head was another second he didn’t have to struggle with how to respond to his friend. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to Lancelot, simply that he never knew what to say when their conversation strayed here. 

“Could you ever love again?” Merlin rolled back over, staring at Lancelot for a long time, rolling his words over in his mind. 

“I don’t know.” After he spoke, it was still for a while, a stillness that hung in the air as if every man(and woman) in the room had exhaled in unison. And stillness mingled with uncertainty. For a split second, he couldn’t decide what to do, but when Lancelot shifted he burst into movement in a moment of bravery, lifting himself up on his arms and leaning over to kiss Lancelot on the mouth. His friend met his movement eagerly and their lips crashed together. Merlin had to admit he’d imagined kissing Lancelot before, and there had been moments of opportunity in the past, but he’d never found the courage to take them. Each time he considered it, all he could think about was his(sadly unrequited) love for Arthur and Lancelot’s for Gwen. Now that the dam had finally broken, he… wanted _more_. “Could you?” he murmured against the other man’s mouth. “Love again, I mean.” There was another pause when Lancelot leaned back to look at Merlin, dark eyes wide and filled with the same wanting that Merlin felt.

“Yes,” Lancelot said as he kissed Merlin again. Their lips fit together so perfectly, the warmth radiating from the man before him seeping into Merlin’s skin. As he kissed Lancelot, his thoughts lingered only on him, and it wasn’t until later that night while he watched Lancelot sleeping, on his side facing Merlin, that he realized he didn’t need to think of Arthur to feel that aching affection in his chest. He hadn’t meant it to, but kissing Lancelot had made him realize that Arthur didn’t need to be his first and only love. He smiled in the darkness. If he was going to die in the morning, at least he would die knowing the affection of a man. 

一

Gaius, Merlin, and Lancelot burst from the rubble of the crumbling hall not a moment too soon. They stood in shock for several minutes, surveying the wreckage and breathing deeply despite the dust that was beginning to fill the hallway. 

“We should go check on the others,” Lancelot said, swallowing a pained grimace. Gaius agreed immediately. Lancelot’s words seemed to shake him from his shocked stupor, and he began to brush himself off and start down the hallway. Merlin, with Lancelot leaning on him heavily, followed his mentor to the physician’s chambers, where he helped Gaius fill his medical bag with herbs and tonics, as well as an additional bag of wrappings. As Gaius went to leave, Lancelot reached for Merlin to help him to his feet but went only one step before he grunted and fell to one knee. He tried to release Merlin as he fell, but the warlock only gripped him tighter, going down beside his friend.

“Gaius!” Merlin called out. “You go ahead to the others, I will tend to Lancelot.” Gaius nodded and continued on toward the stairs. 

“Merlin,” Lancelot argued. “Go with him, help. I will follow.” Merlin rolled his eyes and helped Lancelot to one of the chairs so he could sit. When he stepped back briefly to let the other man situate himself, he could see that Lancelot looked paler than usual, and he was continuing to lose blood.

“Give me one good reason,” he muttered as he eased Lancelot out of his chainmail. 

“I’m not-” he coughed weakly, interrupting himself. The action made him groan and clutch his side. Merlin paused to raise an eyebrow at his friend. “Okay, okay,” he conceded.

Lancelot removed the remaining layers that stood in the way of his wound being treated as Merlin collected a handful of various painkillers that Gaius had not taken, needle and thread, cloth wrappings to dress the wound, and as a last thought, a jar of honey from the shelf by the dinner table. When he turned back toward Lancelot, he was surprised to see the other man shirtless, leaning back against the bench behind him and peering down at his bloody wound, a grimace on his face. Merlin shook off the surprise quickly. He’d seen men shirtless plenty of times. In fact, he’d seen Lancelot himself shirtless plenty of times! This was no different.

Except it was. 

He could see every scar, and he could place which ones he’d seen before, asked about, and which ones were new. There was one in particular that caught his eye, it was still pink, healing, and stood out against the warm, brown skin of Lancelot’s shoulder. He swallowed and forced himself back to reality. He could hear the stories later. The thought of Lancelot’s stories distracted him for a moment more, thinking of how the knight spoke little and bluntly of his excursions. But, if one pressed enough(or gave him enough ale), he could be persuaded to speak at length, and he could bend his words so beautifully when he wanted to. It made Merlin’s chest warm to think of the storyteller Lancelot had been the night of the feast after he had first been knighted. _Focus._ Merlin sat on the bench on Lancelot’s left side and after cleaning the wound began to stitch it, only to find Lancelot slowly leaning toward him each time the needle pierced his skin. Merlin straightened and gently pushed Lancelot back.

“You’re blocking the light.”

“Your back was to the light to begin with,” Lancelot grumbled, leaning into Merlin again, casting a shadow over his wound. 

“Lancelot,” Merlin warned. The knight didn’t budge. Merlin sighed and nudged Lancelot back again, then stood and moved to his other side. The light was much better, he found, but he was on the other side of Lancelot’s body as the wound, which was a bit of an uncomfortable reach. Thankfully, he was almost finished. “There,” he whispered. “Now I’ll dress it and you can rest, my friend.” Lancelot murmured soft thanks and leaned into Merlin once again, this time pressing his forehead against Merlin’s neck. Merlin swallowed and got back to work. Lancelot was just drowsy from the loss of blood, he tried to remind himself. With this thought in his head he was able to wrap the wound with steady hands, even when his fingers brushed Lancelot’s bare torso, or when Lancelot trembled as Merlin brought the fabric over his side. He managed to calm himself down so completely that he jumped in surprise when Lancelot began to shift as he tied off the bandage. Merlin thought he must be sitting up, until Lancelot’s lips pressed softly against his neck. He inhaled sharply.

“Lancelot,” he murmured, a hint of nervousness in his voice. 

“Merlin,” Lancelot breathed back, hot breath warming Merlin’s neck and sending a shiver down his spine. He continued to kiss the warlock, from the base of his throat, to his jaw, to behind his earlobe, which he nibbled gently.

“What are you doing?”

“Mm.” Lancelot thought for a moment, then pulled away, kissing one of Merlin’s cheeks then the other before responding. “Thanking you.” They leaned back, almost in unison, to look at each other, to take each other in. Merlin’s lips were hanging open, surer of his desire to kiss the man before him than anything he’d ever felt. Slowly, color was returning to Lancelot’s face, and Merlin leaned forward and pressed a kiss to each of his warm cheeks, returning the action. 

“I would gladly accept your thanks,” he said as he leaned in, his lips brushing Lancelot’s. “But I need to go help Gaius, and you need to rest.” He lingered there, and before he could pull back and end the moment, Lancelot kissed him with as much ferocity as he could manage in his weakened state.

“I know.”

“Sleep,” Merlin urged, taking Lancelot’s face in his hands. “Sleep in my bed, and when you wake in the morning, I will be beside you.”

“Promise?”

“I swear it.” Lancelot smiled and kissed Merlin lazily, then allowed the warlock to help him up the steps and into bed.

“Thank you, Merlin.” Merlin could only stare at the knight who laid in his bed, heart clenching in a way that was familiar, though he thought the feeling was reserved for a different man. He couldn’t deny it though, the warmth he felt. Merlin knelt beside Lancelot and looked into his dark eyes.

“You asked me last night if I could love again, do you remember?”

“Of course.”

“I told you I didn’t know.”

“You did.”

“I was wrong.”

“Oh?”

“The answer’s yes, Lancelot. Yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fanfiction is an escape for me right now as I'm sure it is for many of you, so I'm thankful for the lovely writing popping up right now. With the pandemic, BLM, Yemen, and so many other things, it's important to be vocal and supportive right now, and it's also important to take care of yourelf. Be vigilant and be kind, do not stay silent, but allow yourself to escape if need be.


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